1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a cabling system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for managing cables connected to a device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A typical electronic system, such as a computer or audio-visual system, has at least one if not multiple cables that connect to the electronic system. For users who are unfamiliar with the electronic system, connecting the correct cable to the correct location can be a daunting task. At times, the task becomes quite cumbersome as users sometimes must connect, disconnect, and reconnect the cables several times before the cables are connected correctly to the electronic system.
In the opposite situation, at times users are very familiar with the location to which a particular cable should connect; however, the user has a large quantity of cables that are connected to a large number of electronic systems. A large server bank is an example of such a system. Similar to the first situation in which a user is unfamiliar with an electronic system, the user who manages a large number of electronic systems often finds difficulty in determining which cable plugs into which location. The task is more confusing because of the number of cables involved in managing a large electronic system. Furthermore, often the cables visibly look the same and/or are of the same physical type, but the cables are designated to be plugged into different locations.
Several solutions currently exist to address the problem. One solution is to employ a color coding system in which a user matches a cable with a connector of the same color. However, in certain situations, not enough colors exist for the number of cables and cable connections. Additionally, some colors are difficult to distinguish from one another.
Another solution is to write the location of a connection on a label and then attach the label to the end of a cable. A corresponding label is placed on the connection location to identify the name of the connection location. The user then matches the location written on the label on the cable with the name of the connection location. However, connection locations are sometimes difficult to locate in systems with large numbers of electronic systems. Furthermore, the connection locations are often small and located in areas that are difficult for a user to read. Moreover, the labels are often not affixed very well and fall off easily. Furthermore, management of the labels can be cumbersome whenever a user decides to swap a particular electronic system with another electronic system or move a cable to another connection location. In such circumstances, a user may need to make new labels when the user swaps the electronic systems or moves the cable.